1. Identify the prehistoric animals that populate the Lost World. When did each live? In what kind of environment did each live?

2. Conan Doyle depicts prehistoric creatures according to the knowledge of his time. What aspects of his creatures have been outdated by more recent research? Be sure to cite specific examples.

3. The Lost World is often called a seminal work, because it inspired numerous imitations. Research those later works that feature people discover ing a place where dinosaurs or other supposedly extinct creatures live.

4. Compare Edgar Rice Burroughs's The Land That Time Forgot (1924) with The Lost World. Which book is better? Is your admiration of Burroughs's book lessened because it borrows its main idea from Conan Doyle's book?

5. Research the history of "boys' books" in literature. Why did they evolve? Did they disappear with the beginning of World War I as some literary historians suggest...